Shocking moment gator attacks 85yo woman in Florida, USA

Chilling video has captured a monstrous alligator stalking an elderly woman before attacking and killing her as she tried to save her dog.

The victim, who was 85 years old, was killed after the reptile first targeted her dog and then went after her as she tried to save it.

Chilling new footage shows the terrifying moment an alligator lunged at a woman walking her dog by a lake in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Gloria Serge, who was 85 years old, was killed after the reptile first targeted her dog and then went after her as she tried to save it.

The horrifying incident – captured on video obtained by Inside Edition – unfolded in front of a neighbour who frantically called 911 as she tried to help the woman. But it was too late.

She can be seen walking along the lake with her dog when the alligator surfaces and then lurches at them.

Ms Serge tried to get the dog away from the alligator’s jaws but the gator grabbed her instead and could be seen dragging her into the lake.

Her neighbour Carole Thomas, 76, told Inside Edition that she tried to help the woman while on the phone with 911.

“There’s a woman in the lake. The alligator’s got her!”

The victim, who was 85 years old, was killed after the reptile first targeted her dog and then went after her as she tried to save it.

Emergency services were called to the scene, and officials from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and the FWC arrived promptly to deal with the situation.

As the call unfolded, the neighbour became more distressed when she didn’t see the woman surface.

“I think she’s gone, oh my God,” Ms Thomas cries into the phone.

Ms Thomas said she grabbed a pole to try and pull the woman to land, but said: “There is no way I could have gotten to her sooner.

“It’s horrible for her family,” Ms Thomas added. “It’s just horrible, horrible. And her friends, I spoke to a couple of her friends yesterday who are devastated.”

Her body was later recovered from the lake.

Although alligator attacks are not unheard of, they are rare, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has said that such incidents are not usually fatal.

According to local media, the woman‘s dog survived the assault, but she herself was not so fortunate.

"He fought pretty good. Definitely fought pretty good”

Robert Lilly, a Nuisance Alligator Trapper says the gator that dragged & killed a woman in Ft. Pierce was nearly 11ft and weighed about 600-700lbs @WPBF25Newshttps://t.co/QPP3QvyaYwpic.twitter.com/bQzm1VrQ3l

— Nathalie Pozo (@WPBF_Nathalie) February 21, 2023

Emergency services were called to the scene, and officials from the St Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and the FWC arrived promptly to deal with the situation.

Wildlife officials have since captured the alligator involved in the attack.

The FWC has advised people to be vigilant when near freshwater, where alligators may be present. They have also said that if someone is bitten, the best course of action is to fight back.

Officials have explained that alligators are “opportunistic feeders” and will eat prey that is readily available. If their prey is too difficult to catch, they will often give up and withdraw.

Although alligators can be found throughout Florida, fatalities resulting from alligator attacks are extremely rare.

Since 1948, only 26 out of 442 unprovoked bites have resulted in human fatalities.